The Attorney General and Minister of Justice of The Gambia Abubacarr Tambadou on Wednesday declared at a news conference the forfeiture of all assets of the former President Yahya Jammeh.

“All financial institutions in the country, especially the commercial banks, are hereby advised to take note of this action and announcement which will soon be followed by correspondence specifically addressed to each of the institutions affected,” he said.

He said the move is necessitated by the recommendation made by the Commission of Inquiry that recently submitted its more than two-year investigations report into financial dealings of the former ruler to President Adama Barrow.

However, according to him, the investigations show “Jammeh, either directly or through third parties, embezzled over 1 billion dalasis (over 20 million U.S. dollars).”
Some media reports citing an inquiry into Jammeh’s fiances put the amount of his embezzlement at around 362 million dollars.

Tambadou added that his ministry is taking all measures to advise the president on the report, adding that Jammeh’s seized assets include both developed and non-developed assets.

The current government has been consistently claiming that they have inherited a poor economy as a result of financial misappropriation by the former administration in more than 20 years.